CTBTO's Executive Secretary visits Indonesia where tsunami warning arrangement has just been approved by UNESCO
UNESCO approves tsunami warning arrangement with Indonesia
Indonesia’s tsunami registered by CTBT’s global monitoring system
The earthquake was registered within minutes at seismic and hydroacoustic monitoring stations of the CTBTO International Monitoring System (IMS) throughout the world. Data about the catastrophe were sent to States Signatories by the International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna within two hours of the data being recorded. Although the networks of many institutions registered the earthquake, no adequate warning could be issued by the relevant authorities to the population at risk because of the lack of an integrated and coherent early warning system in the region. There is little doubt that thousands of lives could have been saved if an effective alert system had been in place.

The IDC Reviewed Event Bulletins of 26 and 27 December 2004 include 1137 events (main map) of which 1054 events (inset) were aftershocks of the Sumatra tsunamigenic earthquake.
CTBTO cooperates with UNESCO to assist tsunami warning centres
National Data Centre Development Workshop

Auxiliary seismic station AS040, Lembang, Jawa Barat, Indonesia. Certified on 12 September 2007.
Nine States participate
IMS facilities in Indonesia important for the CTBT’s verification regime
Indonesia currently hosts four auxiliary seismic stations, which are used to locate seismic events and to distinguish between an underground nuclear explosion and the numerous earthquakes that occur around the globe. Negotiations are taking place for the installation of another two auxiliary seismic stations.
Importance of National Data Centres
Political significance of the CTBT
ASEAN monitoring network supporting tsunami early warning systems
Participants made recommendations on ways that the CTBTO and the ASEAN Secretariat could collaborate in establishing a monitoring network to support tsunami early warning systems in ASEAN countries. Cooperation between NDCs and tsunami centres and more capacity building activities for ASEAN countries were also encouraged. The Director of the IDC, Lassina Zerbo, and the Chief of the Monitoring and Data Analysis Section at the IDC, Robert Pearce, visited the ASEAN Secretariat whilst in Indonesia to discuss possible future collaboration in the area of capacity building.

Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Noer Hassan Wirajuda (left) meets with the Executive Secretary of the CTBTO, Tibor Tóth.
and Brunei Darussalam
Tibor Tóth met with Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Noer Hassan Wirajuda and the Minister for Research and Technology, Dr. Kusmayanto Kadiman during his recent trip to Indonesia. While in Indonesia, Tóth visited the new tsunami warning system at the Indonesia Bureau of Meteorology and Geophysics where he saw IMS seismic data arriving in real time. Tóth also travelled to Brunei Darussalam where he met with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dato Paduka Shofry Abdul Ghafor and the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Dr. Haji Emran Bahar. While in Brunei Darussalam, Tóth made a briefing to several agencies interested in the activities of the CTBTO. These included representatives from the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Development.